About Halmstad

Halmstad is a lively municipality, throughout the year. The favourable location on the west coast allows business to develop, tourism to thrive and inhabitants to enjoy life and multiply in numbers. Halmstad is currently the country’s 19th largest municipality with around 94,000 inhabitants.

Halmstad is widely known as one of Sweden’s biggest tourist destinations. Halmstad is also a municipality under development. Over the past 50 years Halmstad has been one of the country’s most expansive municipalities.

A hometown to enjoy

Location

Halmstad municipality stretches from the long beaches on the west coast, inland to quiet waterways that border the forests of Småland. Halmstad municipality borders Falkenberg municipality in the north and Laholm municipality in the south and is located in the County of Halland.

Politics

Halmstad has been run by a centre/right alliance since the election in 2006. The municipal council consists of 71 elected representatives, of which the alliance has 37 seats. The municipal council meets once a month and is Halmstad’s highest political body.

A city of knowledge to develop in

Trade and industry

The municipal council and county council are Halmstad’s biggest employers. Trade and tourism are also major sectors. Other major employers include the Armed Forces, Halmstad University and companies like Albany Nordiska Filt and Getinge Sterilisation.

Trade and industry in Halmstad is varied and is on the increase with many small and mid-sized companies. Halmstad also has one of Sweden’s biggest ports for timber export and a renowned university with 11,500 students learning to become everything from development engineers to nurses.

A city for experiences for all tastes

Tourism

Halmstad is a popular tourist destination! Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Halmstad every summer to enjoy our beaches, countryside and the wide range of culture and restaurants. The most famous beach is Tylösand, which can have as many as 40,000 guests on a sunny summer day. Here you’ll find Sweden’s only manned lifeguard station and the Nordic region’s only lifeguard training school.

Culture

Halmstad has many galleries and museums from which to enjoy culture, including Sweden’s biggest gallery (floor area) and a blossoming music and theatre scene. The city library, which received many awards for its unique architecture, is one of Halmstad’s most visited locations for quenching the thirst for culture and knowledge. Mjellby art museum, which is west of the city centre, is the home of Halmstadgruppen. The group’s surreal works are on permanent display in the museum.

Sport

Sport is important to Halmstad. The city provides many opportunities to watch and play sport. Football, handball and table tennis are just a few of the sports that Halmstad’s sportsmen and women excel at. Halmstad Arena opened at the beginning of 2010 and is a multi-purpose arena with major potential and areas for a wide range of sports and elite sports.